Michelle Obama praises 'Black Panther,' celebrity Twitter agrees

Michelle Obama doesn’t tweet that often, preferring to save social media for special occasions — like, for example, the opening weekend of Black Panther. The former FLOTUS took a moment on Monday to praise the new Marvel superhero movie, the first in the Marvel Cinematic Universe to feature an African-American actor in the title role and an almost entirely black cast. (That’s a big leap from the first MCU film, 2008’s Iron Man, which had exactly one black actor in a named role — or two, if you count the 20-second post-credits scene.) And Michelle wasn’t the only social-media-savvy celebrity to shower praise on the film, which has a 97 percent “fresh” rating on Rotten Tomatoes (despite sabotage efforts from certain corners of the internet) and smashed box-office records this weekend. Here’s a roundup of high-profile praise for Black Panther on Twitter and Instagram.

Michelle Obama called the film an inspiration for a new generation of audience members.

Congrats to the entire #blackpanther team! Because of you, young people will finally see superheroes that look like them on the big screen. I loved this movie and I know it will inspire people of all backgrounds to dig deep and find the courage to be heroes of their own stories.

Whoopi Goldberg gave her heartiest, most abbreviation-filled endorsement.

Just watched Black Panther, RUN 2 this Film, Chadwick Boseman, Michael B Jordan off the hook, & EVERY woman in this film, no matter your own race, is the woman you want 2 be. Believe me when I tell you C this movie, it’s SO much more than you think it is.